The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1887-02-13
SUNDAY. FEB. IS, 1887.
JOUR DUTY TO YOUR PARTY.

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Just what the idea of some of the Dem
ocrats who are abstaining from attendance
upon the Joint Caucus may be it is diff
cult to conceive To stay away from the
caucus. after due notice that one is to be
held, does not free Democratic member
of the Legislature from any of his Party
obligations. Two obligations rest upon
every Party man, whether he belongs to
the Republican or to the Democratic side.
One is to attend the Party caucus; the
other is to abide its decision. He cannot
excuse himself from respecting the decis-
ion of his caucus by keeping away
from it. Once the deliverance of
the caucus is properly made, he
is bound, by all considerations
of political honor to act in obedience to it;
and the Senator or Assemblyman who re-
fuses to abide the issue of caucus he re-
fused to attend, is just as much bolter as
he who goes into caucus and then acts
contrary to its command. Nothing can
excuse his failure to join hands with his
fellow Democrats in accomplishing the
Party ends The true and straight Party
man makes his contest in the caucus, and
never outside of it. If. to make an appli-
cation, Leon Albeit is declared the nomi-
nee of the Joint Caucus, as he has been
by an overwhelming majority, it is the
duty of every Democrat in the two Houses
to 90 into Joint Meeting and to cast his
vote for him, and for no one else. A re-
fusal to attend the Joint Meeting, or a vote
for any one else than Leon Albeit, even
though the some one else be Democrat,
makes the man who refuses or who votes
astray, traitor to his Party and to his
constituents. Any act, small or big, that
tends to defeat the contamination OF the
properly declared purpose of the Party,
puts upon the man who commits it the p3-
litical odium of boiling. When Leon Alb
bett is the nominee of the Party, Demo
cratic vote for Ex-Governor Bedle, for in
stance, is as odious an act of treachery to
the Party as Democratic vote for Sewell
would De- 1uabS tuo "aoAo al"
of party fidelity illustrated in two lines. 1t
would be an act of equal treachery and
greater evil, perhaps, for Democrat tore
fuse to atteAd the Joint Meeting. If it is
members duty to vote for the Party's can
didate in the Joint Meeting, it certainly is
his duty to be in attendance on the Joint
Meeting 80 that he can vote. He escapes
none of his obligations as a representative
of his Democratic const ituency by staying
away. It's equally his duty to be there as
his duty to vote straight when he is there.
In the complications of the present situa-
t;on his absence tom Joint Meeting would
assume deeper hue OF treachery even
than his refusal, on being present, to vote
for the Party's candidate. For the alb
sence of one or two Democrats might leave
the Republicans in majority of the quo
rum present, and it is well settled now that
such majority can, if they get the chance,
elect Republican United States Senator !!
Let every Democrat therefore, be in his
seat at next Wednesdays Joint Meeting;
and let every Democrat vote the straight
Democratic ticket for United States Sena-
tor. The Democrat who fails in his duty
there, needs expect no further favor from
the Democratic Party of New Jersey.